Polish premier tells rivals hostility toward Germany, Ukraine serves Russia
Intelligence services have warned of heightened risk of Russian provocation against NATO's eastern flank as Moscow faces rising pressure in Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday accused political opponents of undermining national security by fueling hostility toward Germany and Ukraine, arguing that divisions among allies play directly into Russia's hands as Moscow's war against Ukraine enters what he described as a critical phase.
Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw ahead of the signing of a new Polish-German military cooperation agreement, Tusk said Poland's security depended on close cooperation with both Berlin and Kyiv despite growing criticism from conservative opposition politicians and President Karol Nawrocki.
"Germany and Ukraine are our allies," Tusk said. "Anyone who today attacks Ukraine is helping Russia. Anyone who stirs up anti-German sentiment and tries to destroy good Polish-German relations is serving Russia. It's as simple as that."
His remarks come amid an increasingly heated domestic debate over Poland's relations with Germany, Ukraine and the European Union following Nawrocki's election victory earlier this month.
Tusk said allied intelligence services had warned of a heightened risk of Russian provocations against NATO's eastern flank as Moscow faces mounting pressure on the battlefield in Ukraine.
"The worse Russia's situation becomes at the front, the greater the risk of Russian provocations against countries on NATO's eastern flank," he said.
Tusk said that leaders from NATO's eastern member states would meet in the northern city of Gdansk next week alongside an international conference devoted to Ukraine's postwar reconstruction.
The comments coincided with preparations for the signing of a new military cooperation agreement between Poland and Germany by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on the 35th anniversary of the 1991 Polish-German Treaty of Good-Neighborly Relations.
According to the state-run Polish Press Agency (PAP), the agreement will focus on defense cooperation, military exercises, training and coordination between the two NATO allies. Unlike the security treaties Poland recently signed with France and Britain, however, it does not include mutual defense guarantees.
The agreement replaces a previous military cooperation framework signed in 2011.
The government has presented the deal as a practical step to deepen defense cooperation at a time of growing security threats from Russia. Germany has become one of Poland's key defense partners within NATO, while Berlin has expanded its military presence on the alliance's eastern flank since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The issue remains politically sensitive in Poland, where historical grievances related to World War II continue to shape public debate. The conservative Law and Justice party, known as PiS, has frequently accused Tusk's government of being overly accommodating toward Berlin, while Nawrocki has also adopted a more skeptical tone toward Germany.
Relations with Ukraine have also become increasingly complicated despite Poland's strong support for Kyiv following Russia's invasion. Disputes over agricultural imports, historical memory issues linked to the Volhynia massacres and domestic political tensions have strained ties between the two countries over the past two years.
Tusk nevertheless argued that Poland's long-term security interests require continued support for Ukraine and strong cooperation with European allies.
"I want Poland to be a respected partner at the center of Europe and at the center of NATO," he said.
